World Championships Day 2

The 68th annual Sturgis Rally officially got underway today Monday August 4th. Joining the hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts already in the Black Hills of South Dakota are many more recent arrivals. This morning got off to a great start with cooler weather coming as a welcome sight when compared to the weekend’s high temperatures.

Monday night AMD and HOT BIKE magazine hosted a welcome party for all the competitors and Partners of the Championship. The party was attended by a huge crowd that spent the evening reminiscing with old friends and making new acquaintances. Many of the competitors spent the better part of the evening going over and explaining numerous intricate details of their bikes to fellow competitors. This is one competition where egos have definitely been checked at the door!

A large enthusiastic crowd of attendees has been steadily streaming through Champions Hall, which houses the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building. Over and over again spectators have commented in amazement at the high level of craftsmanship displayed on the 66 bikes, which represent 13 different countries.

Vendors in Champions Park have been reporting increases in spectator traffic. This year’s rally goers are proving to be savvy consumers who know just what it is they are looking for and willing to pay for it once they have found it. Motorcycle manufacturers have been busy taking orders on production customs, and look forward to what the upcoming week will bring.

Orange County Choppers has been busy fielding questions from inquisitive consumers regarding their new production line of motorcycles. Of particular interest at the rally has been their touring model dubbed the OCC SR Cruiser. Outfitted with S&S Cycle’s latest powerplant, the X-Wedge, the big bagger boasts 117 inches of displacement to take riders comfortably to their destination.

Kiwi Mike Tomas has brought his 20+ years of experience and unique brand of motorcycle building to both Champions Hall and Champions Park. On display inside the hall is Mike’s example of what he calls a Retro American Motorcycle, the Chieftain. The new motorcycle, built from Mike’s exclusive pieces, is a perfect example of integrating yesterday’s looks with today’s technology and reliability. The bike will be the basis of a new limited production line Mike will be producing from his Riverside, California shop. Outside the hall Mike and son Ross have been busy at their trailer keeping the public informed on their latest offerings including production motorcycles as well as their over 2,500 piece parts catalog.

This entry was posted on 05/08/2008 at 01:59 pm and is filed under Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

| Print